I was at a loss for words. Mama was in the grasp of that --- monster! 

I bawl my hands into fists and smash it against the table near me; it instantly splits in half. Both Madam Zornem and I are surprised at the sudden wreckage, but it does not matter to me... Mama was in trouble. 

"I'm going to kill him," I laugh aloud and shake my head, my eyes focusing on my hands, now unclenched. That bastard, of course. Since when did things become easy? Did he predict this? Did he know about this little trick from Asmodies? Certainly not, hell I did not know about it till days before Gala. 

I stand up from the couch and walk towards the door, grabbing the handle ready to escape from this claustrophobic little house. Before I have a chance to twist it, I can feel a hand on my shoulder from where Madam Zornem stands. 

"Why must you stop me?" I whisper as I do not turn to look at her. I can practically hear her thoughts running out of her head; they are worried-filled, panic-stricken, not an ounce of positivity deep within her mind. I can only let out a low hiss before slowly turning to meet her eyes. 

She flinches back slightly before standing up straight and putting on an emotionless mask. 

"We can't go into this blind, Alice."

"We can't just sit here and do nothing either, Celia." 

Her eyes widen in surprise as I use her first name. It is unheard of to ever address some older by their first name, and it is nothing short of utter disrespect. But I do not care anymore. The only thing on my mind is Mama; it no longer is about respecting others. 

"You don't seem to understand. It might be night, but as soon as the day comes, people will see you, they will know you are not from here. That's why I've prepared something." Madam Zornem slowly releases her grasp on me and motions for me to stay still. The little pitter-patter of her footsteps echoes throughout the house as she makes a right to enter another room. I peek in and realize it is a rather large study full of, well, more books. I can see Madam Zornem fiddling with a small object in her hand before her eyes meet mine.

She walks back to me; we meet eye contact as I only now notice she is a head smaller than me. I swear she was taller than me only a few days ago, too. What has happened to me since I drank that concoction? 

Only mere seconds later does she reveal what was in her hand... a ring. For it was a small golden ring with a black gemstone in the middle. My eyes flicker back to that day in the market when I got the necklace, did I see this same ring there too? Surely not.

"This is a magic-infused ring. It will transform your appearance to match that of an ordinary citizen. If you do not do anything radical, you should fit right in. Should we try it on?" 

I hesitantly take the ring into my hand and look at it intensely for a few seconds. The craftsmanship is stellar, with small details hidden within the band. The gemstone is a hexagon shape, with little indentations to secure its placement. I put the ring on my finger and half expect sudden pain to echo throughout my entire body, but, oddly enough, I feel . . . nothing. 

Rather it is like a cloak has been cast over my entire body. It is not painful it is simply like wearing a pair of clothes or, for the love of Gala, it is hard to describe exactly what it feels like. It does not matter, however, as Madam Zornem gives an approving nod. She grabs my hand and drags me over to, what I assume is, the washroom. From there, she shoves me in, and I investigate a mirror. My gasp echoes throughout the room as I look deeply into the mirror, certain the person looking back was not me.

For she had the most gorgeous dirty blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a tan complexion to compliment her body. She looked shocked, wearing the emotions that were welling inside my head. I went to touch the mirror, unsure if this was an actual person, and she did the exact same thing. I proceed to run my hand over my face, and, to my utter surprise, she once again does the same thing. 

This is no mirage; this is me. I look back to Madam Zornem who gives me a slight smile, seemingly thrilled with her work. 

"Open your mouth for me, real wide," she hums, and I hesitantly do so. She investigates my mouth and lets out a 'tsk' before shaking her head. I give her a confused tilt of the head before looking back into the mirror. I can feel panic bubble within the pit of my stomach when large, intimidating fangs protrude from my gums. 

I let out a silent scream before looking deeper into the mirror. I messed with the fangs, making sure they were real, and when I dare even touch the pearly white fang, a cut makes its way onto my finger, blood pouring out of the wound. I stop looking in the mirror and gaze at my bleeding wound, absolutely gob smacked at what I just saw. I have fangs... actual fangs. They are not minuscule either; they are large, monstrous fangs. For the love of Gala, I pray they are not real, but, in the end, I know my luck would not be good. The craving for blood, flesh, for the death of others, the need to be in the night and ignore the very meaning of life, just everything . . . I am a monster. 

"What do I do about these?" I whisper quietly as I turn back to Madam Zornem who seems to be in thought. She lets out a hefty breath before shrugging away any sort of troubles she might be encountering deep within the battlefield of her own mind. 

"I'm afraid that the ring is at max capacity for the magic-infused. You will have to be incredibly cautious when speaking; I can attempt to use a bit of illusion magic on them, but the moment you use them for anything, such as eating or talking, they might fade away. You can smile, but that might be the only thing without giving away that you're a strigoi." 

I nod my head, but quickly notice that she does not instantly use the magic. For she motions for me to walk back out to the living room where I look out of the window. I am quick to notice that night has spread her wings around us and cast any sort of light away from life. The only source of life are the magically lit torches that line the roads. I walk towards the door and gently open it, half expecting frozen air to greet my body and for me to shiver like a leaf stuck in the depths of a tornado. Yet, I feel nothing. There is no warmth nor no cold. It is like I am in a constant equilibrium where things simply feel --- normal. 

I know things are not correct, however, because there is a light layer of frost that is sprinkled about the yard. I glance outside further and let out a breath, seeing a big puff of air rise from the ashes of the night. 

"Why can't I feel anything?" I whisper quietly as I close the door shut. 

"Because that is how your body is. For your body no longer needs to feel the sensations of the temperature nor does it need light to see. Your eyesight is prestige, and your hearing is that to where you can hear a pin drop to the ground. You're an assassin's worst nightmare, to put it simply."

"Huh, you don't say." 

I glance back outside and take in a quiet breath. I need to go home; I need to see what has happened to our house, to see if Mama was really gone or if this was just a big trick. Perhaps this is all a dream, that none of this is more than a cruel trick my mind has played on me for the sake of entertainment while I rest under the night's coverage. 

"Let me go home."

"Alice, I'm not sure if that is a great idea. Guards can be out looking about or ---"

I take the ring off and instantly feel the small barrier wear off from my body. Back is my pale skin and daggered claws. I flip my hair behind my ear and straighten up my posture. I do not dare make a reaction as I cross my arms and put my weight on my back leg.

"That wasn't a question. That was a demand."

---

My footsteps are gentle along the gravel road as the only source of life is from the moon casting her gentle beams down along the kingdom. There are no souls within the general vicinity, and that might be for the better. If one were to spot a being, such as I, then certainly an issue would arise. 

"A monster... I'm a full-blooded monster," I whisper under my breath as the realization has yet to sink into the depths of the brain. 

I let out a soft sigh as I pass through the marketplace that I had only stood in not too long ago, gaining a necklace for Mama. When I was . . . alive. 

Curses, Alice, stop thinking about that! It will only make you more agitated, more worried.

I lightly tap my hand to my head, trying to knock some physical sense into my mind, but it has yet to work as my head is still clouded with dismal thoughts. Only when I step into the western side of the kingdom do I let out a breath of relief. A sniff of the air almost makes me gag; the smells that were once subtle are now blasting their way into my head. They were full of rotten food and --- it smells like that of rotting corpses. 

I shake my head and walk by a few homeless peasants sleeping. Well, sleeping as well as they can considering they are outside in the bitter cold. I feel pity for them; I would do something to aid them if I could myself. I still have no coins to my name; all I have, now, is craving for flesh and an elder that is joint at my hip due to her questioning my sanity at every living second. 

I finally arrive at my house, or former house, technically speaking. I grasp the door handle and attempt to open it, but it does not budge; it feels like it has a Mysle calf sitting right on the other side. I let out a huff and continue to pull until I give up for that attempt.

I peer at a few of the bushes before my eyes catch a familiar glimmering light. I tiptoe past a few of the small plants, getting scratches on my legs in the process. I let out a string of curse words while shaking my head; I always hated going through these damned bushes. 

I see the small key I was looking for and grab it, scratching my arm up pretty good. I make my way back to the front door and put the key into the keyhole. I twist it and the door groans with old age, practically begging me to put it out of its misery. 

When I peer inside, I half expect Mama to be resting peacefully on her cot on the far side of the house, but she is not there. Why would she be? I take a few hesitant steps and look around. I feel like it should be pitch black in the cottage despite the light glimmering through the two windows, but it is all enlightened. I can see everything. 

And that is what makes it hurt even more.

My heart aches as I step further into the house; it is entirely ransacked. Our cots are torn up, stuffing thrown everywhere. Our fireplace is in shambles, the wood and coal are gone, and the brick is crumbling apart, large chunks are taken out of it. The washing hole is tossed on the ground, split in half, causing a large dent onto the floor. What used to be used floorboards are split apart, leaving gaping holes within the entire house. 

Yet, my soul sinks when a sparkling object caught my eye. I walk over to the corner of the house, and tears are shimmering along my cheeks as I reach down and pick up a snapped necklace. The sapphire in the middle lost, stolen. I clench it in my hand and let out a choked sob. She put up a fight, and I was not here to help her. 

I will kill them; I will kill them all. I will taste their blood and tear their bodies limb from limb 'till there is nothing but a mangled corpse. God, I hate them. 

I turn around, torn necklace in hand, and walk out of the door. I could not bear to stand a single second more within our ruined home. When my feet hit the outside, a stinging smell penetrates my nose. I let out a cough and try not to gag. When my eyes travel to the path of the scent, I find a drunk lingering around. A bottle in his hand and a pair of unsteady feet below his body.

Yet, something strikes me. Like lightning coursing through the sky, I catch the gash in his head, the blood flowing through the wound. I can feel fangs elongate and claws grow out as I let out a pain-filled groan. I hunch over as my stomach cramps, and the pain in my arms only continued to spread to my shoulders. I let out a gasp before a small growl rips through my body. 

My eyesight grows sharper, and the smell grows stronger. My mind is growing foggier by the second, and I must tear myself away from looking at the stumbling stranger. 

Trigger warning: Blood, gore, and violence.

Yet, I cannot hold on a second longer before my body works before my head. I leap up into the air, my eyes open and mouth wide open. I look towards the bleeding spot, and I can feel the taste, the craving of blood flowing through every single ounce of my body. Only when our bodies made contact did I take a large chunk of his shoulder. His screams echoed through the night, and they only grow more strained as I pull away, munching on the flesh. 

The flavor explodes in my mouth, and it is heaven, bliss. Every single inch of my mouth is in paradise. I look towards the man and put a finger to his screaming mouth. Only then did I look towards his neck and lick my lips. My mouth opens and closes as I take the fatal shot, my mouth enclosing on the wound a large CRUNCH echoing as my fangs flew through the bone with ease. From there I suck his body of all its blood, the taste blissful, so sweet. I can only let out a quiet moan as I drain the corpse of every single ounce of his soul. 

I chew on a bit of the flesh that was exposed before I was full, at peace with the typical hunger that gnaws through my body. I step back and let out a terrified gasp. What have I done? I look at my hands and nearly scream; they are black. Every single fingernail is extended six inches and pitches black. I trace up my arms seeing the blade fade out and the black veins spread along my arms. Before my eyes, they slowly start to disappear to a normal skin tone, and I felt a dull aching in my mouth as the feeling of my fangs retracting is nothing short of painfilled. 

I take a shaky step back before taking off, rushing back to the madam's house.